My Cruel Wife Blinded My Daughter To Please Her Love

My daughter, Jolie, was born with a startling, almost mythical genetic Polycoria —a rare condition that made her irises appear strangely duplicated. It had terrified Stella’s freshly returned ghost of first love, Liam. In a fit of panicked, cruel deference to him, Stella had hired an eye specialist to remove the eyes. I knelt in the driving rain for three days and three nights, begging her not to do this to our child. But Stella had simply looped her arm through Liam’s, looking down at me as if I were a stain. “I’m helping Jolie, Marcus,” she’d said. “It’s better to be blind than to be called a freak and a monster, isn’t it?” “Having her eyes removed won’t kill her. I can just get her a pair of high-end prosthetics afterward.” The moment Jolie’s surgery was over, Liam called the doctor away, complaining that his own eyes were dry and strained. When I burst into the operating room, my daughter had already stopped breathing, her tiny body ravaged by infection. After covering Jolie with a white sheet, I pulled out my phone and dialed my father-in-law, George Hawthorne. “Five years ago, you saved my life. When the Hawthorne Group faced ruin, I honored that debt by joining your family with a colossal half-a-billion-dollar investment. My daughter is now dead. You and I are officially even.” 1. Blood seeped continuously from Jolie’s hollowed-out eye sockets. I clutched her small, thin body and kowtowed to the doctor, pleading with him to save my daughter one more time. The doctor’s face was etched with unbearable pity. “Mr. Ashworth, the child is gone. Please, accept my condolences.” I had heard that sentence countless times. Now, my heart went cold, fading along with the last remnants of my daughter’s body heat. George Hawthorne arrived, late and breathless. He saw me, collapsed and cradling my daughter on the hospital floor, and his expression twisted in shock and rage. “Marcus, what in God’s name happened? Jolie, she—” The grief in my chest was so immense that no sound could escape. The doctor standing nearby felt compelled to speak up. “The child’s eyes were brutally removed. The fresh wounds were left unattended, leading to a massive infection. We did everything we could, but…” Those few words summed up the cause of her death. Yet, all I could see in my mind was the terrifying image of Jolie strapped to the operating table, screaming, “Daddy! Daddy!” I couldn’t believe Stella could be so utterly ruthless—that she wouldn’t even allow the doctor to tend to the child’s wounds. George swayed, clutching the wall to stay upright. His hands clenched into fists, and he slammed them against the sterile white paint. “I never thought the daughter I raised with such indulgence could have such a viperous heart!” The words had barely left his lips when Stella’s personal assistant walked in with a strawberry cake. He casually placed it on a chair in the corridor. “Ms. Hawthorne sent this as a reward for Jolie. She told me to tell Jolie that she is the bravest, most obedient child, her mother’s good girl.” George was trembling with fury. He snatched up the cake and hurled it directly into the assistant’s face. “That wretch ruined her own daughter! And now she sends a reward? Tell her to get over here right now!” The assistant was silent, terrified. George had no choice but to call Stella himself. When she picked up, her voice sounded slightly annoyed. “Dad, did Marcus run to you to complain?” “Liam said children with the anomaly bring a curse on the family. I’ve already arranged for a custom-made, high-end pair of prosthetic eyes. Once she has them, everything will be fine.” Hearing Stella’s casual dismissal, a fresh wave of blinding fury surged through me. “Jolie was the child you carried for nine months! Stella, how can you speak with such brutal indifference!?” She became instantly impatient. “Marcus, are you going to be tiresome? I know Jolie suffered, but I sent a cake over, didn’t I? Liam and I are busy with our own baby’s prenatal care every day. Can you stop bothering me with these petty issues?” My eyes fell on the ruined cake splattered on the floor. Stella always bought strawberry cake when she wanted to placate Jolie. But I had told her countless times: Jolie was severely allergic to strawberries. She never remembered. Jolie’s body was completely cold now. I carefully lifted her, rising to my feet. Blood dripped steadily from her eye sockets, like long, continuous streams of tears. Seeing this sight, George’s legs instantly gave way, and he fell to his knees with a loud thud. Panic and terror clouded his face. Thick, miserable tears poured down his cheeks. “Marcus, this disaster—it’s the fault of the animal I raised!” “I will teach her a lesson she’ll never forget. Please, for the sake of the years you spent with Stella, and for what you did for the Hawthorne Group, forgive us this one time…” I couldn’t hold back my own tears any longer. They fell, warm and stinging, onto Jolie’s pale, blood-flecked face. Five years ago, to repay George for saving my life, I brought that colossal investment to the company and even agreed to an arranged marriage, joining the family as the son-in-law to ensure a steady stream of business. After the wedding, Stella and I were polite strangers, sharing no real spark. I had foolishly believed that with a child, our family of three would finally find happiness. Instead, my child met this miserable, cruel death. And Stella, her own mother, was already eagerly anticipating the birth of the other man’s child. I held Jolie’s corpse tighter, looking down with cold indifference at George’s pleading face. “If it weren’t for Jolie, I would have walked away from the Hawthornes years ago. Now she is gone. The debt is paid. I have no further ties to your family.” 2. I left the hospital and personally buried Jolie. I cut a lock of her hair and wove it into the wristband she loved to wear. It was the only tangible memory I allowed myself to keep. George looked devastated. After a long silence, he begged me not to completely erase Jolie’s name from the Hawthorne family records. I agreed. After all, a part of her did share their blood. After settling Jolie’s affairs, I carried her small wooden memorial pendant back to the Hawthorne manor to pack my belongings. The moment I stepped through the door, I saw Stella and Liam lounging together on a sun-drenched chaise lounge. And what they were fiddling with in their hands were Jolie’s eyes, preserved and mounted. “I heard the anomaly wards off evil. Is that true?” Stella asked, her voice soft and lazy. Liam leaned down and kissed her, his tone tender. “Of course. I’ve been researching ancient texts to protect you and our baby. And I found this remedy. The anomaly is so rare, but of course, Jolie had a perfect set!” As he spoke, he jabbed a needle and thread through one of the orbs. He was stringing the two eye-orbs together with a few pearls, crafting a small, delicate bracelet. Watching them treat my daughter’s eyes like grotesque toys, I felt my heart violently tear apart inside my chest. My rasping, ragged breath finally drew their attention. I moved toward them like a wounded animal. Stella looked at me, a flash of pure annoyance in her eyes. “What are you doing back?” Her gaze dropped to the small pendant in my arms. “Why are you carrying a memorial pendant? That’s utterly bad luck! Get that thing out of my house!” “Marcus Ashworth, why do you constantly have to create drama? You know I’m carrying Liam’s child, so you’re deliberately trying to upset me, aren’t you? I’m warning you, it won’t work! Everything the Hawthorne Group owns belongs to Liam’s child!” “As for Jolie, if she’s willing to call Liam ‘Dad’ and properly respect us in the future, I might even set up a trust fund for her so she’ll be comfortable.” Hearing her speak of Jolie like this, the grief and rage inside me threatened to become uncontrollable. Since Jolie was born, Stella had never once looked her in the eye. Even at her young age, Jolie had sensed her mother’s disgust. Every night, she would hold my hand and whisper her cautious questions: “Daddy, is Jolie too demanding? Is that why Mommy doesn’t like me?” “I’ll be good, I promise. I’ll do whatever Mommy says. Can you ask her to come see me, just for a minute?” Thinking of it now, Jolie’s innocent words felt like sharpened knives, stabbing my already tattered heart. I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to suppress the searing pain. I just wanted to grab my things and leave, now. But Stella wasn’t finished with me. “Marcus, are you speechless?” “You walk around here like some successful scion, fooling my father completely. Now you can’t say a word? And where is Jolie? Bring her out! She’s probably not learning anything good from you, her father. Maybe we should just let Liam raise her from now on!” She invoked Jolie’s name one time too many. I lost all control of my temper. My hand lashed out, and I slapped her across the face. “You don’t deserve to say her name!” Stella clutched her cheek, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. “Marcus Ashworth! You dare to hit me? I swear I will make sure you never see Jolie again!” I squeezed my eyes shut, struggling against the devastating sorrow. “Jolie is dead. You can’t threaten me. I will never see her again anyway!” Stella froze, slowly knitting her brows. “What did you say?” I repeated the words, flatly. Just as Stella opened her mouth to speak again, Liam finally stepped forward, his expression grave. “Marcus, we hired the very best surgeon for Jolie.” “I know you’re upset about the procedure, but you can’t use your own daughter’s life as a weapon to deceive Stella.” 3. “Marcus Ashworth, you don’t deserve to be a father!” The flicker of doubt on Stella’s face vanished, replaced by cold certainty. “You’re just afraid that the baby Liam and I are having will cut into Jolie’s inheritance, aren’t you? You always pretended to be the heir to some hidden dynasty, but you’re just a leech who used the Hawthorne family wealth! You’re just a son-in-law who refuses to leave!” “I’m telling you now, as long as I’m here, you will never get what you want!” She gently stroked her stomach, a soft, tender look entering her eyes. “Everything here belongs to Liam and me.” “If my father hadn’t forced me to marry you back then, Liam and I would have been together years ago. Now, we’re simply getting things back on track!” With that, she didn’t spare me another look. She took Liam’s hand and walked away. She seemed to have forgotten the truth: Liam was the one who abandoned her, moving abroad with another woman. Stella had been utterly devastated, falling into a severe depression, leading to repeated acts of self-harm. I had stayed by her side to protect her, even taking the blade for her when she spiraled. To this day, my body bears the scars from her moments of emotional breakdown. Later, she would cry as she traced those scars, swearing she would be with me forever. But Liam’s return shattered everything. Stella’s resentment for me surfaced. She started staying out all night. She even brought Liam into our house on countless nights. The memory made my stomach clench with a rising nausea. I rushed into the house and quickly stuffed my clothes into a suitcase. Just as I was about to walk out, Liam appeared, blocking my path. He glanced at my luggage with contempt. “Open it. The diamond necklace Stella and I bought for our baby is missing. I suspect you stole it.” I looked at him and let out a cold, bitter laugh. “If you want a confrontation, just say so. Don’t use such a pathetic excuse.” Liam merely raised an eyebrow. With a swift hand gesture, two bodyguards materialized behind him. The hulking men marched up to me, grabbing my arm and twisting it sharply backward. A sickening snap of splintering bone exploded in my ear. I cried out in raw pain. Liam pointed at my waist and commanded in a cold voice, “Open his suitcase for me!” I violently widened my eyes, struggling with all my might. Seeing my desperate fight, Liam scowled and personally joined the two bodyguards, pinning me down hard onto the floor. I watched, helpless, as my suitcase was violently ripped open. Jolie’s small, wooden memorial pendant hit the hardwood floor with a sharp crack. Her name glared up at everyone present. Stella, rushing in after hearing the commotion, saw the pendant. Her expression instantly shifted. “Marcus Ashworth, you actually dared to write your daughter’s name on a memorial pendant!?” 4. Stella’s face was dark with anger. She marched forward and slapped me hard across the face with the back of her hand. “How dare you? You’re the child’s father! How can you do such a thing!?” “Liam is about to be a father, and he thinks every day about how to protect his child. And you? You’re cursing your own daughter to death!”